View From The Tower

Here are some important facts I wish to pass along to you concerning cigars. I have included a few here but you can read the entire dossier in a PDF format at http://rytekwebs.com/cigars/dossier.pdf . This dossier was provided by David Sabot and is the proprietor of cheaphumidors.com

HOW TO CUT A CIGAR

Hand made premium cigars must obviously be cut before they are smoked. When cutting your cigars, it is important that the blade is very sharp. A dull blade will do nothing more than ruin your cigars. Your cigar should be held at eye level so you can ensure you are cutting a straight line. Many people ask if they should keep the plastic wrapper on the cigar when cutting. It really doesn’t make a difference.

Make sure when you start to cut your cigar that you do so with constant pressure in a quick manner. This will ensure that equal pressure is placed on all sides of the cigar, eliminating the risk of crushing the cigar while cutting.

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to cut the perfect cigar:
1.  A cigar has two ends – one cut already, the other sealed and uncut. You will be cutting the end that isn’t already cut. This is called the head or cap.

2.  With your cutter in your cutting hand, position the cutter between you and the cigar. The cigar should be pointing away from you, with the pre-opened end the farthest from you.

3.  Locate the shoulder of the cigar. This is the point near the end where the curved end of the cigar starts to straighten out, typically between 1/2″ and 1/16″ in from the unopened end.

4.  Position the cigar under the blade at the point where you want to cut it.

5.  Bring the blade down gently onto your cigar at the right point and rest it there for a second (just enough to establish solid contact).

6.  Without losing contact with the cigar, cut with one swift, decisive, surgical motion, applying even pressure. The cleaner you do this, the less chance you’ll have of tearing the wrapper or crunching the tobacco.

7.  Dispose of the small piece of cap you’ve just cut off.

8.  You are now ready to light your cigar.

When cutting a cigar there are many choices of cutters.  The most popular is the guillotine cutter

The guillotine cutter comes in both the single-blade and the double-blade configuration.  If possible, always use the double-blade as it cuts the cigar from both sides at once.  These cutters are inexpensive, yet razor sharp to ensure a perfect cut.

Some people prefer to use a punch to put a small hole in the center of the cigar.  I find that this type of cut produces a lot of residue near the cap and can effect the draw of the cigar.  One popular type of punch is called a bullet cutter.

TIPS FOR THE PERFECT CUT
1.  The object of the cut is to create an ample, smooth opening for smoking so you draw evenly and your cigar burns evenly. Do this without damaging the cigar’s structure.

2.  Keep you cigar cutting devices sharpened at all times. Don’t let them get gummy or sticky with crud.

3.  A good cutter is worth investing in. A few ruined cigars and you’ll understand.

THE ART OF LIGHTING A CIGAR

To light your cigar you need the correct lighter. Some cigar buffs use cedar strips for the job, but I find these hard to carry around. Most people prefer to use matches or a butane lighter. When using matches, wooden ones are the best because they look cool and they stay lit longer. Just be sure you let the sulfur burn off before you light the cigar. If you opt for a lighter, make sure it uses butane fuel. Why? Well, just about anything else that you could use to light the cigar will effect the cigar’s taste. Regular fluid lighters have an odor that can be transferred to the cigar if the flame is allowed to touch the foot.   This includes those Zippo lighters that you have been collecting since you were a little kid.  So forget about it for lighting a cigar.

Take the cigar in your hand and light your flame source. Slowly rotate the cigar in your fingers as you lightly toast the tobacco on the foot of the cigar. Notice I didn’t say to put the cigar in your mouth… Never let the flame touch the foot as you rotate the cigar in your fingers. Put the cigar in your mouth and continue to
light as you rotate the cigar, gently puffing in every few seconds.  When the cigar is lit, remove it from your mouth and look at the foot to make sure it is burning evenly. If it isn’t, you can gently blow on the foot causing it to ignite the tobacco which is not burning or you can apply a flame to that area. If you have an area which is burning faster than the other areas, simply wet your finger and apply under the quick burning area, this should slow it down.

A cigar that goes out completely, or one that burns unevenly down one side can indeed be relit with satisfactory results, if done right. The trick is to bring it to life again without poisoning it with that dead cigar-butt taste. To do so, you must heat the cold soot back up to temperature to drive off the volatile, evil-tasting
components in it. Don’t put a light to it and puff it to life, for the reasons in the previous section. Instead, coax all the loose ash out and heat the wrapper rim until the gray ring tells you it’s lit all around. Remember, a cigar dies at its periphery first – often, the center of the filler is still burning. You want to slowly heat the binder back to ignition again. Thus, the fire will burn inward, merging with the live central coal, and you can resume smoking. But like the initial cigar lighting, don’t hurry the process.

A cigar that continues to burn down one side and which requires frequent relighting, was rolled improperly and can’t be saved. Likewise, don’t bother to relight a cigar that has been out for an hour or longer. Sometimes nothing can resurrect the dead.

TIP

If you’re smoking your favorite cigar, and it starts to burn hot, try this little tip. Gently blow through the cigar to blow out all the smoke in the cigar, then set the cigar down for a minute, then smoke as usual! It works!

And finally….

CIGAR ETIQUETTE

No matter if you’re projecting power or wealth, being sexy or just one of the gang, manners are still a dominant part of your personal image. Cigar smoking brings with it a whole different sense of etiquette and rules of common courtesy. Some are common sense, some are just learned class.

HOLDING A CIGAR
As a general rule, unless you’re European, don’t hold your cigar like a cigarette. Hold it between your second and third fingers, letting the cigar rest on the back of your third finger. Hold the cigar in your hand between puffs rather than holding it in your mouth. Take leisurely puffs, holding the smoke briefly, then exhaling slowly. Never have the cigar in your mouth other than to puff on it . It’s not polite to eat with food in your mouth and no matter how stimulating the conversation, don’t talk with your cigar hanging from your lips. Exhale completely before speaking, that’s a good boy!!

And if you’re not holding the cigar, put it down in an ashtray, or at least control the hand that’s holding the cigar. It is incredibly rude to talk and make wild gestures with your hand when your cigar’s still in it. No one wants to be sprayed by your ashes or embers. Put the stogie down, then you’re free to talk with your hands.

In the U.S., it’s okay to leave the band on the cigar. Europeans, however, take the band off, as they feel that leaving the band on is a sign of pomposity. They look at it in the same vein as leaving the tags on your clothes. The Americans, used to wearing designer’s logos plastered all over their clothes, don’t share this hang-up. Do as you wish in the U.S., it’s a judgment call. But it does say something about you, so make the choice consciously. If you’re going to remove the band,  there’s no set way to do this. Tear it with your fingers or peel it apart with your nails, it’s up to you. Some people claim that it’s best to do it after lighting the cigar because the warmth will soften things up and lead to a lessened likelihood of damaging the cigar when you remove the band.

A man should never light another man’s cigar because it is a very personal experience, however it is acceptable for a man to light a woman’s cigar only if it is one of the smaller type cigars, otherwise it is not permitted. As for the women libbers, it is not acceptable for a woman to light a man’s cigar. Never light someone else’s cigar; instead, offer your lighter or matches. The smoker usually draws in too hard to get a light quickly from someone else, and that can be bad for the cigar. As you smoke it, don’t puff too rapidly. Your cigar will burn hot and acquire unsavory, burned flavors and dispel a whole lot of stink into the air. A puff a minute is considered more than adequate to keep a cigar lit. And, as common sense will tell you, never blow smoke directly into someone’s face, especially if that someone is trying to enjoy a different brand. This is an insult, especially in Europe, and can result in violence. So, definitely don’t blow it in the face of someone bigger than you.

THE ASH

Let your ash get approximately three-quarters of an inch long (two centimeters) before you flick it. A long ash is actually essential to a pleasant cigar-smoking experience. The ash helps to reduce the temperature of the burning tobacco (creates an air block), thereby cooling the smoke that you inhale and slowing the burning of the cigar. These factors combine to improve the taste and lengthen your enjoyment of the cigar. A sign of a premium cigar is its ability to hold a very long ash. Cigars using premium fill will maintain a lengthy ash before it falls off. When a longer ash is gently knocked off, the foot or burning area will come to a point. Don’t play architect with the ash. If you wait too long to knock it off, it will end up on your pants or on the tablecloth. Watch for a small crack in the ash, then tap it off.

The ash is a good measure of a quality cigar – the whiter and longer the better. However, if you are not knocking the ash of properly you can do serious damage to cigar and wrapper. The proper method is to gently tough the ash to the bottom of the ashtray. Tapping the cigar on the edge of the ashtray or with your finger will cause the wrapper to break and unravel. The wrapper is very fragile and must be handled with care. Ash structure has to do with the amount of magnesium and other nutrients in the soil where the tobacco was grown. As a general rule, a flaky gray ash indicates tobacco with low magnesium content, while a solid white ash indicates high nutrient content. Watch your ash. Don’t let it fall anywhere other than an ashtray. Cigar ash is quite hot. I’ve found that the best way to tip the ash off of a cigar is to take two nice long puffs which heat the end up, wait about 5 seconds and lightly tap the cigar. Ideally this will cause the ash to break cleanly right at the boundary of the burning material leaving you with a perfect glowing orange cone at the end of the cigar. If the ash doesn’t fall off with a light but sharp tap or two, it’s not ready to be tipped.